Unable to uninstall a program

I have a program called thinkorswim.exe. When I click on it, it just "spins" and locks up some of the computer (such as Windows explorer). I see nothing in the tasks list if I want to delete the process. I try to uninstall it from Add&Remove, but it just hangs.

I searched on Google and found a "Spyware" website that seemed to have information about this, but NOD32 antivirus/antispyware blocked it. (glad of it).

how do I get rid of this program? I tried restoring Windows to a restore point, but every one of them fails. very suspicious.

soon, I should probably just return the machine to factory settings, but I'd rather just clean it up.

thanks for any advice!

I did a virus scan using NOD32 and it found 12 infiltrations, which I deleted. Search&Destroy found nothing.

Hmm, well system restore is notoriously buggy when it comes to resetting malware. And these days, viruses are getting really, really cleaver. I had one a little while back that infected my computer, added itself to all restore points, and even infected my jump drives and micro SD card! I was able to get rid of it using kaspersky, which also comes with a really good system vulnerability scanner, Give it a try, and if it doesn't solve your problem, I would highly recommend a clean reinstall (after all, even when you think you have these things removed they always find a way to get back unless you can fix the vulnerability).

Whether you reinstall or not, I still recommend using Kaspersky to protect your computer.

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can you try the mentioned software,,,this will help so analyze the issue...also there is a Microsoft un-installer, i don't have the link from MS as its not supported any more that will help you remove the software and then reinstall without any issue.

I like the suggestion of arunkumar_neo and will do that to try to clean the machine. In the meantime, Thinkorswim sent me uninstall instructions which I will try. The other programs mentioned are good reference programs which I will try if need be. Thanks everyone, I'll report back.

I don't really think any of that software will help because it is not a virus or malware. I would get Autoruns http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx
Run it and disable everything referring to thinkorswim. Then restart the computer and delete it's files and folders. Restart again and if everything seems good, go back and remove the entries permanently.

thanks, however is it possible malware caused the initial corruption?
thinkorswim sent me instructions to delete, there is no uninstall, it is just deleting files so I'll try that. autoruns sounds good if I need it

I reinstalled in safe mode since I was unable to install in regular mode, but the program hangs again when launching (in safe mode). I seem to remember something about a missing file yesterday. I wonder if there is a Windows file that is corrupted or missing that this app relies on.

right - re combofix - I could uninstall the program in safe mode, but then could not reinstall except in safe mode, and now cannot get it to run. The program is fine - I have it running on a second laptop.

Thanks - I was able to install by deleting the directories because the registry was not involved. I downloaded the application again, and get the same hang I was getting before. So uninstall is not the problem now. I guess I should close the bug and reopen with a different title.

tried running Combofix, it won't run, probably the same reason TOS won't run.
I am going to rebuild my computer.
thanks for the help, everyone.
I guess the fairest thing to do is award points to everyone for offering a solution?

Thanks everyone, I think I gave each of you 62 points (there were 4 left over and I just closed my eyes and pointed for those). For some reason, the system gave the first comment the rating (which is not inaccurate as it stands).

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